Nothing Left to Say, Only Do Now

The goal is market anarchism. That’s my goal, at least. By market anarchism, I mean a society where political power is dispersed and decentralized, so much so that there is nothing left of what we today call governments.

There are organizations that provide services we expect from government. There are bodies that regulate business and ensure orderly society. But the police are private defense agencies now. Courts are run by arbitrators. National defense is no different from individual, family, block or city defense. The social safety net is once again charity and mutual aid organizations.

The unit of political power in market anarchism is the individual. The individual has complete sovereignty over his or her life. The individual can contractually join groups if he or she wishes to live in a gated community, gain social support through a mutual aid society or collaborate as part of a firm. The individual can trade with any other individual or group who wishes to trade with him or her, on a voluntary and consensual basis that’s not so different from going to the grocery store.

This vision isn’t clear to everyone. Some think it means rule by corporations or “unbridled” capitalism. They forget that corporations are creatures of the state, chartered with special privileges through grants of limited liability and unstoppable influence-purchasing. They don’t realize that a market anarchist society could easily result in not just more but also more effective regulation than any state ever imposed on any capitalist enterprise.

Why

Market anarchism is the goal because it represents the beginning of complete respect for the individual and his/her human rights. It marks the end of the 20th century mega-state that killed tens of millions through war, genocide, brutality and other schemes for control. It’s the end of having a central point of failure for society. No longer can big business go to Washington to buy special privileges. No longer can acts of Congress infringe on our rights to live our lives as we please as long as we don’t hurt anyone else.

Market anarchism and the end of states isn’t utopia. It simply removes the impediment that blocks each of us from re-organizing our lives and our communities to serve our own needs best.

It means no more runaway, murdering police. It means drug legalization, or not, depending on your community mores. It means greater economic and scientific development for those willing to undertake it. No more slavery, or taxation. It means a great reduction in war and greater local control over immigration, be that for open or closed “borders.” It means respect for local culture. It means that dissatisfied people can move to new areas and start new communities with new philosophies at any time just by buying land and signing contracts.

Market anarchism is both complete accountability for every human being and complete freedom. It’s the evolution in government that we need to reach our goals as individuals and as a species.

How

The theory of what market anarchism is and the ways in which it works is clear from works such as The Market for Liberty, Private Law and many others. I won’t go into that in this post.

The real question is how do we get there. The popular answers are the least satisfying: “education”, activism, copblocking, abstention from this or that.

There are tons of plans and ideas for how a market anarchist society could work but there is no plan for how to get to any of those ideals from the less than ideal situation we currently find ourselves in.

That’s why I’m considering writing a book that expands my own current personal plan, a plan I’ve been working on for years and have written about before over at Shield Mutual.

It’s a plan that encompasses both the individual sphere and the collaborative group sphere. It contemplates things like building power, collective bargaining and model societies.

Your Interest Level?

Are you interested in buying, reading and discussing such a book? Are you interested in collaborating on it? Reading drafts?

We libertarian types frequently get stuck in analysis-paralysis. We focus on the many wonderful possibilities without settling on one to try. And so we remain passive and we do nothing of any substance.

This is your chance to do something of substance. Let me know if you’re in on this project or not in the comments and in what capacity.

We’ve talked our heads off about liberty. There is nothing left to say now. Now it is time to do.